The present invention relates to an automatically fastening seatbelt assembly which causes an occupant of a vehicle to be automatically held to a seat in the vehicle by a restraining webbing, after the occupant is positioned on the seat in the vehicle. The seatbelt assembly includes a guide rail, a slider which is displaceable along the guide rail and a restraining webbing which is fixed to the slider at one end thereof. This guide rail is provided with stop switches at each end thereof. The stop switches are connected to a source of electricity or an electric control circuit through connecting wire. Further, the stop switches detect the arrival of the slider at either end of the guide rail and output signals to the electric control circuit. However, known seatbelt assemblies have suffered from problems associated with installation of the connecting wires on the guide rail, such that the connecting wires kink or twine together during assembly of the seatbelt assembly to the vehicle body, resulting in increased production time and increasing production costs.
A similar seatbelt assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,489. This patent discloses a seatbelt assembly which includes a guide rail having a longitudinal guide groove therein. The guide rail is fixed on a roof side member of a vehicle and a slider, which slides in the guide groove, is displaceable along the guide rail. Further, the slider is connected to one end of a restraining webbing by an anchor plate The guide rail is provided with a forward stop switch provided at a forward portion of the guide rail and a rearward stop switch provided at a rearward portion of the guide rail. The forward and rearward stop switches are connected to a source of electricity or an electric control circuit by connecting wires. The connecting wires supply current to the foreward and rearward stop switches, which in turn can supply an output signal to the electric control circuit. When an occupant sits on the front seat in the vehicle and the door of the vehicle is closed, the slider moves from a forward location to a rearward location as it is displaced along the guide groove. This movement of the slider results in the restraining webbing moving, causing the occupant to be automatically restrained in the seat by the restraining webbing.
When the slider approaches the rearward stop switch on the guide rail, the slider contacts an actuator on the rearward stop switch, thereby stopping any further rearward displacement of the slider. Conversely, when the occupant opens the door of the vehicle, the slider moves from its rearward location, along the groove, to a forward location causing the restraining webbing to move away from the occupant toward the front of the vehicle. When the slider approaches the forward stop switch, the slider contacts an actuator on the forward stop switch, thereby stopping any further forward displacement of the slider. Thus, the occupant may exit the vehicle. This seatbelt system makes it very convenient for an occupant to be fastened in by a seatbelt.
However, the seatbelt assembly is very difficult to install in a vehicle. Specifically, it is particularly troublesome to install the guide rail and the connecting wires of the forward and rearward stop switches on the roof side member. The difficulty arises because the connecting wires often twist around the guide rail and frequently become tangled together when they are installed on the roof side member. U.S. application Ser. No 712,607, filed Mar. 18, 1985, pending
which is herein incorporated by reference, is contemporaneous with this application and discloses a fastening means for fastening the connecting wires to the guide rail prior to installing the guide rail on the vehicle. Such fastening means enable a worker to install the seatbelt assembly in a shorter amount of time because of the decreased amount of difficulty in handling the assembly. Further, U.S. application Ser. No. 717,870, filed Mar. 29, 1985 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,164, which is herein incorporated by reference, is also contemporaneous with this application and discloses a connecting wire guide bracket located adjacent to the stop switches. The guide bracket prevents kinking of the connecting wires near the stop switches. The present invention provides an alternative assembly for maintaining the connecting wires in the guide rail assembly.